The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge didn't treat the ASU women's golf team very well.
The Sun Devils finished the tournament in Palos Verdes, Calif. in twelfth place with a score of +68.
ASU posted a team round of +21 in the contest's final round, head coach Melissa Luellen said unforced errors by her players cost the team down the stretch.
"It was a little rough," Luellen said. "Bad shots get you on the bogey train."
The No. 37 UCLA Bruins took the victory in by finishing at +18, No. 1 USC finished second at +27 and No. 4 Duke placed third at +29. Ironically enough, tournament host Ohio State finished in last place at +80.
"Scores from the field indicate how difficult the course is," Luellen said. "It's a very hilly course, the greens are small and fast. It's the hardest course we've played all year."
The coach said players need to have everything going well for them in order to score well at the Palos Verdes Golf Club.
Sophomore Noemi Jimenez had it going on for ASU at the challenge, tying for ninth at +7 individually. Sophomore Erynne Lee of UCLA earned first place honors by shooting even par in the same category.
ASU sophomore Emilie Alonso turned in a score of +27 while junior Daniela Ordonez finished at +20 and junior Laura Blanco ended the tournament at +12. Junior Nicole Jones struggled in her season debut with a score of +55, posting a +14 in the final round.
Luellen said she and associate head coach Missy Farr-Kaye have already held individual, post-tournament meetings with each player to asses what needs to be improved and how.
"Part of our job is to narrow their focus," Luellen said. "We help them pick things that will help their game the most by simplifying true needs and taking their emotions out of it."
The coach said she expects her team's No. 10 ranking to drop after their performance this week but Daniela Ordonez doesn't expect that to keep happening this season.
"We just had a bad tournament but it doesn't define who we are," Ordonez said. "I know the capabilities of our team and the five of us could've done a good job."
Ordonez said she is ready to begin practicing for the next tournament at a much higher intensity.
"It's not that I haven't been intense in practice," Ordonez said. "But those scores were not like me. I'm fired up!"
Following the Northrop Grumman Regional Invitational last year ASU placed second in the Battle at Rancho Bernardo in San Diego, Calif.
The next tournament for the Sun Devils comes at the Cal Invitational from Feb. 25 through Feb. 27 in Pleasanton, Calif. hosted by the Golden Bears.
Live scoring of the tournament will be available at golfstat.com
Reach the reporter at adrian.martinez.1@asu.edu
